Carry This Picture
by Angel436
Summary: Being the 17 year old dreamer Kendall Knight is, to help fulfill his dream of traveling all over the world, he decides to take the baby step of taking French classes at a college nearby. During this time, he meets the charming, yet forbidden James Diamond, his professor. Will they end up together? Or will the ignorance of the world break them apart? AU. Kames. Rated M.
1. Psychos

**Hola! So, um, yeah, this is like, a habit of mine. lol I get this amazing idea for a story and I fall in love with it and it's like, "I'm going to make this the best story EVER!" Then I just stop writing. lol I'm so sorry! I really hope I don't end up doing that with this story because I'm really loving the idea and if I find the inspiration, I'll FINALLY update a few others! :D I haven't written anything in a while. Like... a LOOOOONG time. And it's important that I write because I want to be a published author. Can't do that without writing. Duh. :P So I'm gonna try to keep this going and the others. OH! Btw, I got rid of For Angels to Fly. For those who read the first chapter, I appreciate the fact that you liked it, but after a while, I didn't like it anymore. Maybe I'll bring it back, but I don't know. We'll see.**

**Also, if anyone notices the reference I made towards Glee, bonus points for you! :D**

**So that's all I have to say! I'm gonna shut up and let you guys read and I hope you guys like it! Enjoy!**

**S/N: DISCLAIMER: I don't own anyone in this story, BTR (no matter how much I'd love to), anything that happened to be mentioned, or anything of the sort. All I own is the idea, I swear. **

**Also, excuse any mistakes you find. I happen to never check for spelling or grammatical errors. I probably should...**

**Okay, for real now. lol Enjoy! :D**

* * *

Carry This Picture

"Happy birthday!" All my books fell from my arms from the utter shock that coursed through me from the sudden loud praise. "God, Kendall, why are you so on edge?" I looked up at my smirking best friend, a banana nut muffin in hand. I smiled.

"I'm fine. Just had another dream," I said with a sigh, picking my books up from the floor, placing them in my locker.

"Want to talk about it?" he asked, shifting his weight from his right foot to his left. I shook my head.

"I'd rather not."

"Are you sure?"

"Logan, I'm fine," I replied, a little bit louder than I should have. I'd have these dreams repeatedly, haunting my days and keeping me up at night. My mother crying, my sister hiding, my father leaving…

"I'm sorry," he said sympathetically, rubbing my back. I nodded and turned to him, giving him a small smile.

"It's fine, I'm sorry for yelling."

"It's cool. Anyways, happy birthday! I know it's not much, but…it's something," Logan said, handing the muffin to me. My eyes immediately lit up, the glutton in me showing its ugly, greedy head.

"Wait, this is for me? Thank you!" I exclaimed, eagerly pulling off the wrapper and sinking my teeth into its moist and fluffiness. He chuckled, readjusting the strap of his book bag on his shoulder.

"Is it good?" he questioned sarcastically. I usually would have answered back with something snarky like 'not as good as your mother,' but no one understands the importance of banana nut. There's no time for sarcasm or snarky remarks.

"It's amazing. I freaking love you," I said, shutting my locker and turning the other way, starting my way down the hall, Logan right beside me.

"I love you too, meathead," he said with a smile. "Doing anything special today?"

"Nope. Just going to get through the day and sit around at home," I said, taking another chunk of the muffin in my mouth. As I did so, I could practically feel Logan glaring daggers into the side of my face. I glanced out of my peripheral towards him.

I was right.

"What?" I asked, fully turning my head towards him.

"Dude, it's your seventeenth birthday. Why are you not doing anything for it?" I shrugged.

"I don't see why I need to. I mean, nothing changed from yesterday when I was still sixteen."

"But every year deserves a celebration, don't even be that way," Logan said. It amazed me how he gave me a lecture about going out to have fun when he's the one who's constantly cooped up in his room or in the library, studying for hours.

"Okay, if it'll make you happy, after French class, I'll go pick myself up a birthday cupcake. Or maybe even another one of these," I said, waving what's left of my muffin in his face.

"After French class? I almost forget that's where you run off to every afternoon," Logan stated.

"Yup." Seeing as though Bridgewater High School is severely lacking in variety of curriculum, to gain experience in different foreign languages, I decided to do a dual enrollment at Sherwood University. Sounds like a lot just to learn how to speak a different language, but I knew that if I didn't, I'd never get it done.

"Is it hard in any way? I mean, it is college classes," Logan stated, his tone seeming unsure.

"Honestly, it's just like school. Except the professor is—"

"I know Kendall, he's 'sex on a stick and sings like a dream'," Logan mocked me, playfully rolling his eyes and giving me a knowing smirk. I couldn't help but smile myself.

"I mean, it's true though!" I retorted, finishing off the last bit of my muffin. "He's one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen! And he acts like a normal person compared to the 'stiff' teachers we're surrounded by majority of our days."

It was true. I hated teachers in standard k-12 schooling. The teachers always acted as though we weren't people, but little children that needed to be sheltered from the world. They're never 'real' with us. Never talk to us about more serious things despite the class curriculum. It's no wonder they're surprised when we learn that they actually have a life outside of school. Professors, on the other hand, a good majority of them treat their students like they want to be treated: like real people. And I was lucky to be put in a class with one of them.

* * *

_ I nervously made my way into the auditorium-like classroom, timidly making my way through the rows of chairs in the middle of the room, taking a seat in one of the few empty desks in the fourth row from the front. Out of nervous habit, I slowly scanned the room, hoping that the other forty or so students didn't notice that I didn't belong here._

_ That I was only a junior in high school._

_ I stared at the clock on the wall above the double doors I walked in through, feeling as though eons had passed, but in reality, the professor was just about fifteen minutes late. I heard the sighs and grumbles of others around me complaining about his lack of appearance as well._

_ "What's taking him so long?"_

_ "I could be asleep right now."_

_ "I'm gonna leave if he's not here in the next five minutes."_

_ I huffed, plopping my chin in the palm of my right hand, my elbow resting on my binder upon my desk. I watched the clock, just staring absentmindedly until my eyes slowly began to drift shut._

_ That is until the doors finally opened and everyone went silent._

_ I opened my eyes to see the most gorgeous brunette man I've ever seen walk into the room. He sauntered professionally in his burgundy skinny jeans, white button up with a black tie, and black blazer. Not the standard outfit for a teacher, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't like it._

_ Briefcase in hand, he walked to the front of the room to his desk, setting it down and going straight towards the chalk board. With a few strokes, he wrote his name on the board with chalk, turning towards us with a huge smile when he finished._

_ "Bon après-midi mesdames et messieurs. Mon nom est M. Diamond et je serai votre professeur de français AP pour cette année," he said cheekily, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose. I slowly looked around to see if anyone understood what he said. They were just as clueless as I was._

_ "Now that," he started, "is how any normal professor would start off the year." And with that, he picked up his briefcase and walked out of the room. I don't think I'd ever been so confused in my life. I think the rest of the class agreed with me._

_ "What the hell?"_

_ "What's going on?"_

_ "Is class, like…over?" _

_ Murmurs filled the room, everyone trying to figure out if this all was a joke or if our professor was a complete psycho._

_ A few seconds later, he walked back in, but instead of the poise and elegant demeanor he had at first, he completely threw his briefcase towards his desk, landing on the floor next to it, catching everyone's attention. He shrugged off his blazer, throwing it on his chair behind his desk before hopping up atop of his desk, crossing his legs Indian style. Once he was situated, he loosened his tie and took it from around his neck, throwing it on the floor in front of him, folding his hands in his lap afterwards._

_ And he just stared._

_ And we stared back._

_ "What's up?" he simply asked, a simple, interested facial expression. Not knowing exactly how to react, everyone pretty much shrugged and answered 'fine', 'cool', or something of the sort._

_ "Good, good," he said with a nod, looking around the room, scanning the waves of faces. When his eyes met mine, I swear I melted on the inside, for his eyes were the most beautiful hazely-green eyes I'd ever seen. I gave him a small smile and he smiled back before continuing to go through the rest of the faces._

_ Dear God._

_ "Um…Mr. Mas—" a girl from behind me started, but Mr. Diamond stopped her in her tracks, banging a book next to him on top of the desk._

_ "Don't, please," he said, hopping off his desk, making his way to the chalk board. "You see this name?" he asked, underlining M. Diamond with the chalk. _

_ "This," he started, taking the chalk board eraser, beginning to erase his name, "is not my name." Once he had completely erased it, he made his way back to his desk, taking up his former position there._

_ "My name is James Diamond, but I'd prefer that you called me James. Actually, no, you WILL call me James. If I hear any of you call me Mr. Diamond, I will simply kick you out of my class. Got that?"_

_ Yup. He's crazy._

_ "So, I'm going to give you a little run down of myself. My name is James David Diamond, I'm 26, and I'm a new professor here. I lived in Minnesota all my life, but I do a lot of traveling. I love music and singing, I play a couple of instruments, I'm a gym junkie, I speak fluent French, obviously, and as you may see, I'm not quite the normal person." Everyone in the room agreed, followed by a few chuckles. I joined along, as well as James did._

_ "Yeah, I figured you'd notice. There was a purpose to doing that. I'm not like most teachers. I'm not the type of person who's all stiff and professional. I think my brain would explode if I tried to do that. I'm quite a silly and chilled back person. I like to laugh and talk and be off topic and relax, plus, it helps a lot to get through to your students. So, officially, we're all friends here. Is that cool?"_

_ Everyone agreed._

_ "Awesome!" He said with a smile. "And I might add, I like to be late a lot and I can be the laziest person in the world, so we'll have a lot of chill days, just so you know." Everyone cheered. I think I could get used to this. "Also, remember, we're all friends. You can come talk to me about anything or if I suspect something is wrong, I'll come to you in hopes that you'll open up and if something is wrong, feel free to. I'm no therapist, but I'd like to help in any way possible. Also, one thing I'm definitely not going to tolerate is hate. No fights, no arguments, etc. We'll have enough debates in here for that, but when it's not that time, I don't want to get all 'teacher' on you all, but it's going to happen if any of that sort goes down. Got it?"_

_ "Got it!" Repeated majority of the crowd._

_ "Cool. So, I think that's pretty much it about me for now and all the ground rules, so we can get to work. Oui?" he said with a smile. _

_ Yup. I can definitely get used to this._

* * *

"You're so head over heels for this guy," Logan stated with a smirk. Before I could say anything back, the bell rung.

"I'd love to confirm and/or deny that, but I have a class to get to," I said with a sarcastic smile, walking ahead of him.

"There's nothing to confirm because I know!" he yelled. I just chuckled.

He knew me so well.

* * *

**And that's it for chapter one! So, I made James this REALLLY cool professor. Eventually, Kendall will get some one on one time with James and some other people will make their way into the story; some familiar people from the show. :D**

**Translation: "Good afternoon ladies and gentleman. My name is Mr. Diamond and I'll be your AP French teacher for this year."**

**So yeah! I hope you guys really liked this chapter and I hope you like this story! If you do, let me know by following it, favoriting it, and leaving some of your wonderful reviews! I think it'll give me the motivation I need to write more. **

**Loyally yours,**

**Eli**


	2. Talking to Strangers

**And I'm back! Omg, you guys don't even know how proud I am of myself. lol I barely ever update and I'm actually updating this in a timely manner. Cheers to me! Haha! Like, I'm so happy for myself, you don't even know. **

**And can I like, thank you all of those who favorite, followed, and reviewed the first chapter of this story?! I was blown away from the feedback I got over the last couple of days! It may not be a lot to some people, but it was a lot to me and I appreciate it ever so much! I love you guys!**

**Since I actually finished this chapter, all I want is coffee now. I feel like that's a good way to celebrate, even though it is a little past 11pm right now as I write this. lol but hey! The heart wants what the heart wants and my heart is calling for some coffee. So, I think I'm going to go make some and leave you to read!**

**But before I let you go, do excuse any of the spelling and grammatical errors. It's past 11pm and my eyes like to deceive me at this point. lol I had SOO many mistakes in the last chapter, it wasn't even funny lol (yet, I laugh. lol) But I tried to fix them as much as I could, but knowing me, I most likely still missed a few. But I'll go over this chapter eventually anyways. Okay, now I'm going to leave you to read.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

I walked into Starbucks, the warmth of the environment enveloping me compared to the crisp air outside. It was a pleasant change in scenery, but would have honestly been better if it could change my feelings of foolishness.

As I do with every guy I start to like, I act like an idiot. A complete idiot. I either become tongue-tied, stutter, talk too less, or talk too much. It's an annoying trait on my part, but according to my ex-boyfriend, Dak, it was the most adorable thing in the world. I think that's why he assumed I was the submissive one. As much as I would have liked to have proved to him that I wasn't, to be totally honest, I was putty in his hands.

I didn't happen to embarrass myself too much this time, but it would still follow under that category. Especially to Logan, for I'm sure that if I were to tell him about this, he'd be the first to utter the words of truth.

_"Kendall, you love-struck idiot. Get a grip!"_

I could practically hear him yelling at me already.

In hopes that I could make my day at least a little better, I decided that I would go out and by myself another banana nut muffin. It's like a small bit of heaven on earth. It cures all problems, although it couldn't erase my idiotic and irrelevant babbling earlier.

* * *

_I tapped my pencil on the desk repeatedly, pondering over a question that stumped me. If I may say so myself, I think I'm pretty good at French, but there were certain aspects that I never understood. If I didn't have a goal in life, I probably would have never considered taking French classes, but it's important that I do. _

_ Ever since my move to Sherwood in the middle of my seventh grade year, it was hard to adjust to the smallness of the city and the bipolar weather patterns. There was one thing I knew for sure though: If I don't leave after high school, I probably won't leave at all. My dreams are too big for this small town. I want to play music and travel the world and see things; experience things. My biggest dream is to travel to France. I never knew why, maybe it's because of the speculation of it all, but if I do go, I'd like to know how to communicate with the locals. So this means that I have to take French._

_ Stupid aspirations. _

_ "L__e temps est écou__lé. Tournez da__ns vos documents que vous quittez," James said, never removing his eyes from his book, his feet up, resting on top of his desk. Right after he said so, the bell rung, everyone making their way to James' desk, dropping their papers off and leaving for the evening. I circled a random answer and gathered my things, making my way to his desk last, placing my test down, not resisting the internal need to look up and examine the book he was reading. The Kite Runner._

_ "I love that book," I said before I could stop myself. I regretted it the moment it came out. I wanted to keep talking to him at a minimum, for talking with him would only make my crush worse._

_ He looked up at me over his glasses and smiled._

_ "You've read it, huh?" he said, placing a sticky note inside of his book to mark his place, placing the book in front of him. _

_ "Yeah, I love all of Khaled Hosseini's work. That one in particular. He knows how to capture your attention and make you feel ten emotions at once." There I was, talking too much again._

_ "You know, I couldn't agree more," he said matter-of-factly, removing his glasses from his face, his hazel-green eyes sparkling. "Between you and me, I've honestly cried at least three times so far," he said with a slight chuckle. I joined in, but the mere thought of him shedding a tear made my heart ache._

_ God, the attachment is beckoning…_

_ "I guess I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry either."_

_ "Well, I appreciate your honesty," he said with an earnest smile. He removed his feet from his desk and stood up. "I do have to be going now," he said, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair._

_ "Oh, okay," I said, somberness evident in my ears. I prayed it wasn't the same in his. "I'll see you tomorrow."_

_ "Like wise. See you later, Kendall," he said, looking up at me as he buttoned up his coat. I took that as my cue to leave. Once I was out of the building, I was more than tempted to facepalm myself._

Way to play it cool in there, Kendork.

_I sighed, walking towards my car. I got in and threw my head back against the seat and groaned._

_ I really needed another muffin._

* * *

So here I am now. Getting that muffin I ever so needed.

And a hot chocolate. A hot chocolate sounds great.

I pulled my green beanie down a little more on my head as I walked up to the counter, covering half of my bangs that desperately needed to be trimmed. Quickly fidgeting with my grey sweater, zipping it up to only show the collar of my red and black checkered flannel, I stopped at the counter, face to face with a guy with the perkiest smile.

"Welcome to Starbucks!" his cheerful voice rang, slightly irritating the gloomy side of me. "What can I getcha?"

"Um…just a large hot chocolate and banana nut muffin would be nice." He nodded, his toothy smile molding into a closed-mouthed grin, ringing up my order. I gave him my money and he slowly took it from my hands before looking up at me with a sympathetic smile.

"Rough day?" I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Excuse me?"

"Sorry if I'm wrong, but you seem pretty shaky, much different than a normal person would be in this cold weather. Plus your hands are slightly tucked into the sleeves of your jacket, which can be a sign of distress." I looked down at my resting hands on the countered, noticing that I had subconsciously pulled the sleeves of my jacket down a little to cover my palms, curling my fingers in to hold my sleeves in place. A typical sign from me to know I'm thinking too hard or too much.

"I was just wondering if you were okay," he added, finally putting my money in the cash register and giving my change back. "I tend to be a little over observant."

"Um," I started, not knowing how to answer him. A part of me wanted to just sulk over it in the privacy of my apartment off campus, but then again, I also had a strange urge to talk to Logan about it, even though I know he'd probably kill whatever little self-esteem I had left.

I have the most amazing best friend ever.

"Want to talk about it?" the guy asked. Once more, I stuttered, but he made up my mind for me. "I'm on my break in a couple of minutes. Oh, by the way, I'm Carlos," he said, that toothy smile finding its way back to his face, his hand stretched out towards me.

"Kendall," I answered back with a less intense smile, shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you Kendall. I'll be out soon with your order." He said. I gave him a nod before he disappeared into the back. I sighed, finding an empty booth and sitting down, beginning to twiddle my thumbs in my lap.

Here I was at Starbucks at three in the afternoon, preparing to pour my heart out to a measly stranger. It felt like November 2nd, 2006 all over again.

My first day at therapy.

A couple of weeks before, my father walked out on us. Not just me and my mom, but my kid sister, Katie. She was only six then; she didn't know what was going on or why her father was leaving her. She was attached to him by the hip and it tore me to pieces having to watch my mother pull her away against Katie's adrenaline-rushed body as she desperately chased her father who was walking out of the door. Her wails were like sirens in my ears, echoing and practically deafening me still to this day. She ran and hid in her closet, screaming and crying and kicking at the walls until she was exhausted. And I stayed there with her through that entire ordeal, trying to console her while desperately competing with the sheer pain in my chest, hoping it wouldn't take over. I had to be strong. I had to be strong for her.

I woke up that next morning still on the closet floor, Katie snuggled up to my chest. It was soothing watching her sleep. Her facial expression was so calm and relaxed. It was almost as if she'd forgotten everything that happened that past night. Like all of it was just a bad dream. It was like nothing could hurt her.

But that all changed when she opened her eyes. I stared into her big doe brown eyes, watching them immediately cloud over with tears. I pulled her into a tight hug then, noticing that she didn't cry out once. Completely silent and that's how it stayed for the next couple of months. It drove me crazy that she had to suffer in silence. So crazy, my mother finally decided to make us go to therapy.

That's a whole story in itself.

"Hiya!" I jumped, immediately being pulled out of my thoughts. "Here's your muffin and hot chocolate," Carlos said as he sat down, placing my muffin and beverage in front of me.

"Thanks," I said, going for my hot chocolate first, suddenly losing my appetite.

"So," he started, clasping his hands together on top of the table, "what's gotten you all shaken up?" I sat my cup back down on the table, drumming my fingers on the side of it.

"School," I said simply with a nod.

"Isn't it always?" he said with a sympathetic smile. "What's your major?" I blinked.

"Um…your major?" he asked again with a slight chuckle.

"Uh, I'm…in high school." He gaped towards me.

"Are you serious?!" he exclaimed, seeming astonished. I shrugged. "You look like you're 21 or something! You definitely could have fooled me. That's good," he said with a grin.

"Thanks. I'm getting there, I guess. I'm a junior in high school. But I am taking a college class."

"That's cool," he said, pulling out a water bottle that I assumed was stuffed in the pocket of his apron. He took a sip before continuing. "What classes are you taking?"

"I'm only taking one class, actually. AP French," I said, putting my cup back up to my lips.

"I'm taking AP French too! I love it. Are you taking classes online?"

"No, um, I'm taking a class at Sherwood University," I said, taking another gulp of my hot chocolate. All the while, he just stared at me intensely. After a couple of seconds, it got ridiculously uncomfortable.

"What?" I questioned, shifting in my seat a little.

"You're in my class!" He said, his smile growing. "Yeah, yeah, you are! You sit near the front! You have James as your professor don't you? Last class?" I nodded.

"Yeah," I said with realization, "I knew you seemed familiar, but I've never really noticed you. No offense."

"None taken," he said, waving his hand in the air. "I sit a couple of rows behind you. Who really looks behind their head to stare at people? You're good." I smiled.

"Cool. I'm glad I at least know one person in that class, you know, other than James."

"Yeah, he's cool. Wasn't expecting a professor like him, but I'm not complaining. How do you feel about him?" I was immediately tongue-tied. A good majority of today's depression was about him. But why would I tell him that?

"Um…I-I..uhh…"

"You like him," he said with a smirk. My eyes went wide.

"What?!" He laughed wholeheartedly.

"I'm sorry for my forwardness, but I know you're gay and no straight girl or gay guy would have the audacity to not fall in love with that hunk," he said with a sly smile. I could feel the tips of my ears burn with embarrassment, my face immediately flushed.

"Is…is it that obvious?" I asked sheepishly.

"Eh, not really, honestly. I just happen to have an amazing gay-dar, seeing as though I'm gay myself." I couldn't help but smile. I love seeing and meeting people who are proud about whom they are.

"So, is all this," he said, wagging his pointer finger around towards me, "about him?" I sighed. I guess there was no point in holding it all back now.

"Yeah," I said, slumping back in my seat. "I want to talk to him so bad and I had the perfect opportunity today after class, but I kind of blew it, talking about a book he and I happen to like."

"What are you talking about?" He questioned. "You didn't seem to blow it at all! Talking about your favorite things is the perfect thing to do to get to know someone."

"Really?" I asked, regaining a little hope.

"Absolutely. But then again," he started, sitting up straight in his seat, me following suit.

"Pursuing him is going to be a little hard." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"Why is that?"

"Because," he started, turning his bottle around in circles on top of the table, "he's a professor. He's strictly forbidden to date any of his students. He's the best teacher me and many others I know have had in a very long time. I'm sure you love him as a teacher too, but it's risky. The minute they find out about inappropriate behavior, they'll fire him as quick as the speed of light and replace him with the most ignorant teacher they can find. Plus, the board already doesn't like his teaching style, but never bothered to complain directly to his face because it works and his students learn." I nodded along, thoroughly listening to what he had to say.

"I mean, by no means am I telling you not to pursue him because honestly, I love, admire, and adore the whole 'forbidden love' thing. Just wouldn't want any trouble to be started," he said with a smile.

"So…do you think I should…talk to him?" I asked, feeling as though I was receiving mixed signals.

"Honestly, I think you should go for it. Love is love and you'll never know where you'll find it. Who knows? James could be 'the one'," he said with air quotes, wiggling his eyebrows. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Well, the first step to 'that' is talking to him, but…what would I say?"

"Well, seeing as though to him, the relationship is strictly professional, get to know little bits and pieces of him during class. Or, better yet, claim you're having problems in class. Go to him for help after class or something and get to know him better. As that goes along, try pushing a little more on the personal side. Get him to open up a little bit. The more he can talk to you about personal things, the more he'll trust you and you two will become close in no time," he said with a smile before taking another sip of his water.

"Carlos, you are a genius," I said with a cheesy smile.

"Always happy to help," he said after gulping down his water. I guess talking to a stranger could make me feel a little better, but then again…

"But," I started, biting my bottom lip, "how do you know if he's gay or not?" He chuckled.

"Gay-dar, remember? But if you don't believe me, just slightly hint towards it, but remember to do it slightly. He could still be in the closet," he said sadly. I nodded in agreement, understanding the position, seeing as though I'd been in that position for a good majority of my life.

"Yeah, true," I agreed. "Anyways, thank you a ton for your help."

"Once more, happy to help," he said with a smile before looking down at his watch. "Break's up. Gotta go. I wish you luck with James."

"Thanks, I appreciate it," I said, standing up, Carlos following, placing his water bottle in the pocket of his apron, pulling out a black sharpie as he went. He grabbed my cup off the table and began to scribble on it before handing it to me.

"Call or text me anytime you need help or just want to talk. I'm always willing to listen and help when needed," he said cheerfully. I chuckled, taking the cup from his hands.

"Thanks a lot dude. You're really cool," I said.

"Thanks! Same to you. So, I'll see you around?" I nodded with a smile. He returned the smile before starting his way towards the cash register to resume his position there. I sighed, turning the cup in my hands, staring at Carlos' messy scribbling on the side of it.

I so needed to talk to Logan now.

* * *

**So, going straight into the interesting stuff, I decided to lightly touch on what happened with Kendall's father and how it effected him and Katie. Just a little description, but more will be revealed as the story goes on.**

**Also, Carlos is in the picture! Yay! :D I love Carlos in general and in this story and I hope you guys will love him too. He's going to be a pretty good rock for Kendall, as well as Logan will be as well. I see Kendall's relationships with them different though. Like, you guys ever heard the saying, "If you fall, your friend will make sure you're okay and your best friend will laugh at you first?" Yeah, Carlos is that friend who makes sure Kendall's okay and Logan's the one who would laugh. But don't worry! Logan isn't going to be an asshole to Kendall, I swear. That's just their friendship. He's going to be with Kendall through thick and thin, trust me. But do expect teasing between the two of them along the way. **

**They wouldn't be best friends if there wasn't teasing. :p**

**Translation: _"Time's up. Turn in your papers as you leave."_**

**So, I really hope you guys liked this chapter! Let me know by favoriting (I think that's a word, I'm not sure lol), following, and leaving your b-e-a-utiful reviews!**

**Loyally yours,**

**Eli**


	3. Interrogation

**And I'm back! Soooo, it's been a while. lol I went back to my old habit of a chapter or two and then gone for months. I kinda put it off because I didn't know how to get to the main parts without being boring, so this is kind of a filler chapter sort of in order to get things flowing. So, if it sucks, I'm so terribly sorry! And once more, I finished this at 11pm and my eyes like to deceive me, so I'll read back over this tomorrow and make changes as needed to grammar and spelling. **

**Now that I've gone through that, let's move right along!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

"You're such a love-struck idiot."

Didn't I call it?

Logan and I were sitting in the kitchen of my apartment upon my island counters, eating a huge tub of cookies and cream ice cream. After calling him and giving a brief synopsis of my day, I was surprised to see him at my apartment with my favorite comfort food handy. I couldn't be more grateful, especially since mom and Katie were out for a while.

"I know, but this Carlos guy said it was pretty much a step closer to getting to know James," I said, digging my spoon into the tub of frozen goodness.

"I mean, yeah, but a book? Really? That's something I would do." I nodded. It is something he would do seeing as though he's the wiz between us two.

"And might I add, why did you tell this Carlos guy about your problems before telling me?" he asked, playfully hurt. I smiled.

"Because I knew you'd scrutinize me for being a 'love-struck idiot'."

"Well, of course. That's my job," he said matter-of-factly, shoving a bunch of ice cream into his mouth. I playfully rolled my eyes, smiling down towards our touching hands upon the rim of the tub of ice cream.

Logan was like the brother I always wanted, but never had. I remember telling my mother and father that I wanted them to buy me a baby brother when I was little. I begged and begged and eventually, they told me that I would get a baby brother or sister. Excited that I would have at least someone to have around, I didn't care about the gender at that point, but I cared when they were going to go get him or her. I was so upset when they said that they were going to make we wait nine months, but was the happiest kid alive when Katie was finally born. It was an amazing thing for all of us.

That was until Katie started walking and started getting into my stuff and breaking my things.

Then I asked them to take her back to the store.

Aren't I a great big brother?

But I love her now, obviously. She means the world to me, but I still always wondered what it would be like to have a little brother and I learned what it's like through Logan. Mom and Katie even love him as family, of which I couldn't be any more grateful for.

I mean, don't get me wrong, he can be a pain in the ass, but he's my pain in the ass. I don't mind. He makes my life just a little more interesting.

And a little more happy.

"Earth to Kendall?" I look back up at Logan and blink a few times, coming back from my thoughts. "You're so loopy. Are you that whipped?" he chuckled.

"Shut the hell up," I said, swiping the bottom of my spoon across his nose, leaving a plop of ice cream there. He stuck his tongue out at me before grabbing a napkin to wipe it off.

"So, you've been all talk about this professor, but absolutely no action, except for today, of which doesn't count," Logan states matter-of-factly, dipping his spoon back into the ice cream.

"I know, but I'm kind of iffy about the situation now…"

"And why is this?"

"Well, Carlos—"

"UGH Carlos this, Carlos that. He might as well be Jesus," Logan claimed, rolling his eyes. I couldn't help but smile. For as long as I could remember, he'd always had a problem with me having other friends unless he thoroughly knew them.

"He's good people, okay? So calm your tits." He huffed. "Anyways, Carlos was telling me how James could get fired for pursuing a relationship with a student."

"Well, duh, you're a student. You're a teenager and he's like, thirty," Logan commented with a shrug.

"He's 26, fuck you very much," I sneered. "And I'm seventeen, a couple of months from being eighteen. I don't think it's that much of a difference. Plus, you know me; I don't think love has an age limit."

"Ha! I'd love to know what a judge would say to that after giving him that response."

It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"You know I hate you, right?"

"I know, but you love me too, so it's cool," he said with a smile before stuffing his face again. Times like this makes me wonder how we're so close.

"Home!" squealed the high pitch voice of none other than Katie as she made her way through the front door. I sighed, for my peaceful time at home alone was instantly over. I plopped my spoon into my mouth as I placed the top to the ice cream back on the tub, almost closing Logan's hand in it as he made his last trip for a spoonful. After licking his spoon clean, he handed his to me and I threw both of ours across the island to the sink, both of them plopping perfectly into the dishwater. After doing so, I figured how stupid that was simply because I had to walk over there to put the ice cream away anyways.

"Hey Loges," I heard Katie say, just as I was hopping from the island.

"Hey pipsqueak," he said, hopping from the island as well to give her a hug. Like Logan and I, they were much like brother and sister themselves. "Where's mama?"

"Still sitting in the car, reading. You know mom and her romance novels." Logan and I nodded. Everyone knew about her obsession. "Decided to chill with my lame-o brother today?"

"Yeah, he was just telling me about some guy trouble." I mentally facepalmed as I finally picked up the ice cream and started towards my way to the fridge.

"Yup, just tell the world my business," I stated with a snarky undertone, closing the fridge and leaning against it, folding my arms.

"Big bro, whoever he is, stop being a punk and just talk to them. They won't hurt, maim, or kill you for trying to do so. The most damage they can do is tell you that they're not interested. That simple," Katie explained, placing her hands on her hips.

It perplexed me to know that my younger sister was much wiser about love than I was.

"Katie, I appreciate it, but it's not that simple," I sighed hopelessly.

"Actually, Kendall, it is," Logan butted in. "I mean, the squirt as a point. The worst thing that can happen is that he won't be interested…or arrested," Logan stated, mouthing his last two words in my direction. I trust Katie with secrets, but there are some things that even little sisters don't need to know.

"I don't know guys—"

"Hey!" Logan exclaimed, cutting me off. "The young one is wise," he said, wrapping his arm around Katie's shoulder. "Stop being a punk. If you truly care about this Jamerson, try it. And take this _Carlos'_ advice. I don't like it because it didn't come from me, but whatever helps."

I hate when he's right. Mostly, I hate when I'm wrong.

* * *

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

I stopped dead in my tracks, my eyes focused on the brunet beauty sitting upon his desk, glasses resting on the tip of his nose, dangling papers from his hands.

"Um…s-sure," I stammered, standing awkwardly before him. We sat in silence as everyone left. Once the last person was out of the door, James got up and walked towards it, locking it before returning to his desk, sitting down in his chair this time.

"I usually lock the doors after class, I'm not gonna kill you or anything," he said with a slight chuckle. I guess he figured I was nervous due to the annoying trembling I get when in his presence. "I've been to New York tons of times and had my stuff stolen A LOT, so I tend to take crazy safety precautions." I nodded, fumbling with my fingers.

"So, um…what did you want to talk about?" I stated, wanting to get straight to the point so I could leave his presence and cry over his hotness in the seclusion of my room.

"Oh, right," he said, picking up a manila folder that was on the corner of his desk, placing it in front of him.

"Most professors would find this crazy, but I keep a personal individual record of my students' work, just to track their progress," he started, flipping through the papers within the folder that I assumed was mine. "I expected everyone to fail at least the first three tests I've given, but you've pass them all with flying colors. You have the highest grade in this class."

"Is…that a bad thing?" I chuckled nervously.

"No!" he quickly stated, throwing his hands up. "Not at all! That's actually really fantastic. It was just surprising because no one usually achieves and maintains a high A average throughout the course of my class. I was kind of curious, so I did some snooping. Are you really a high school student?"

Dear God.

He knows I'm just a teenager.

Just another teenager.

He'll never want to be with me now.

Fuuuuuuuuck.

"Uhh…yeah, it's kind of embarrassing," I admitted.

"Embarrassing?" he asked, disbelieving. "That's amazing! You have such a huge lead way in the learning of French and the culture. And speaking of that, your performance and verbal quizzes are outstanding. Not to be forward or anything, but is anyone in your family French? This is AP French after all, but you have to have been exposed to the language beforehand."

"Not really, just thought I would pick it up…"

"Hmm…" James hummed with a smile, placing his right elbow on his desk, resting his chin in the palm of his hand. He stared at me for a moment, causing me slight discomfort. "Do you have any idea what you want to do after college?" I blew out a puff of air, my eyes darting around the room, trying to find a better answer than just to simply travel around the world.

"I want to play music," I stated simply. Somewhat better than travelling, in a way.

"Do you want to merge the French language with with your musical aspirations?"

"Well…I do want to play music and travel all around the world, mostly in France. Maybe learning to sing in a different language would help, I guess?"

"You sing?" he question, a bright smile gracing his face, his teeth white and dazzling.

"A bit," I said sheepishly. I could go in front of the hugest crowd ever and belt out any song thrown at me, but would feel absolutely less than a person when talking about it.

"That's so cool, I do a little singing myself," he said, his smile morphing into a grin. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Really?" I smiled. He silently chuckled before breaking out into the chorus of one of my favorite songs of all time: Hear You Me by Jimmy Eat World.

_"May angels lead you in. Hear you me my friends. On sleepless roads the sleepless go, may angels lead you in…"_

Goosebumps covered my body as I internally trembled, feeling a wave of warmth course through me. His voice was nothing like I'd ever heard before. It was soft, smooth, meaningful…beautiful. His voice matched his persona perfectly as if it were the gateway to all of his secrets. All his hurt, passion love…all of it perfectly stored behind the his hypnotizing voice and selected lyrics. He's one of those singers who can tell a story with their voice alone.

If his voice couldn't make you weak in the knees, nothing could.

"C'est la plus belle chose que j'ai jamais entendu à l'époque de mon existence," stated dreamily, but it wasn't until a blush crept upon James' cheeks when I noticed I subconsciously switched my choice of language.

"Thanks, I appreciate that," he said with a slight bite of his lip. God those lips… "Are you fluent in French, or…?"

"No, I just try to incorporate it in my everyday life. I swear I don't go around telling my teachers that they're beautiful," I explained quickly before going back to reconsider what I said.

"Wait, no! I didn't mean that! I meant your voice! I mean, not that you're not beautiful, but you know, that's kinda…awkward," I hurriedly explained, trying to plead my case, but it hadn't been working. "Kinda how I just made this awkward," I sputtered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"I have no problem with you calling me beautiful," James chuckled, "Even if you did just mean my voice. But just between me and you, I think you're quite handsome yourself."

My eyes widened. I didn't know what context to put that in. Did he genuinely think I'm cute? Was he just trying to be polite? Was he hinting at the fact that he might be gay? My mind flooded with questions that I would never be able to answer.

"Oh, I freaked you out, I'm so sorry," he apologized, closing the folder in front of him and standing.

"No, not at all! I was just…thinking…"

"Thinking about whether I'm gay or not?" Another wide-eyed look was tossed his way from me.

"Umm…I mean…I wasn't gonna…"

"It's fine," he said with a smile, sitting upon his desk like he had been a moment ago. "I am gay. Out and proud and couldn't be happier." At that moment, I just wanted to explode into fireworks. This meant I actually had a chance! And then again, that made me all the more nervous.

"I wasn't going to imply that—"

"You were," he insisted. "Everyone does. I have no problem with it. Do you?"

"Of course not," I said, shaking my head, "especially since I'm gay myself." He smiled.

"Hmm, well may I state something else? Between me and you?" All I could do was nod. He hopped off of his desk and walked towards me. Within seconds we were inches apart, the smell of coffee and strawberries emanating from his person, feeling my nostrils. He inched closer to me, placing both hands on my shoulders, pulling me closer until we were chest to chest, my senses going into overload. He held me in his grip as he turned his head to whisper in my ear, his cool breath sending shivers down my spine.

"I knew you were gay. I could tell," he whispered with a sultry undertone, turning his face towards me, giving me a wink before walking back to his desk, leaving me with a racing heart and red cheeks and ears. I was bound to the spot I stood, left with no other option but to watch as James packed up his things.

"You're a really cool guy, Kendall," James said, glancing up at me as he fixed up the papers that lied across his desk. "I'd, umm…really love to talk to you a little more. You know, about your future and stuff, of course."

Pff, talk about my future my ass. But I decided to play along.

"Um…yeah, that would be, uhh…amazing," I said, desperately trying to figure out what happened to my vocabulary.

"Maybe sometime this week, we can go out for coffee maybe? Talk a little bit?" James asked hopefully, buttoning his coat.

Oh my God…he asked me out.

Say yes!

SAY IT!

"Uhh, yeah! Yeah, that would be cool," I finally pushed myself to say, finally remembering how to properly speak.

"Awesome," he smiled. "Umm,..I have to go home and make sure that my roommate didn't burn my apartment down, so does Friday sound good?" I tried to speak, but only managed a nod. Speaking wasn't my strongest point that the moment.

"Great," he said, grabbing his keys and briefcase, starting his way towards the exit of the classroom, me finally trusting myself to walk, even though I could barely utter a word. He unlocked the door and we stepped outside, the afternoon chill nipping at my exposed skin that weren't protected from my grandpa sweater. "See you soon?" he said with a smile, leaving me no room to respond, already making his way down to the reserved parking lot. I sighed, watching my breath show before me and wrapping my arms around myself before starting towards my car.

I focused my attention on the ground, looking up when I got closer only to notice a smiling Carlos leaning against the back of my car, a smirk planted upon his face. From that facial expression, I knew he wasn't going to leave without answers.

* * *

**And there you have it! Kendall's been worrying for nothing because it seems to me that James made the first move instead! Next chapter will go in depth with James' thoughts and we'll get to figure out who James' roommate is, which means a new character! :D He/she will be introduced and I'm sure you'll love them!**

**Translation: "That was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard in the time of my existence."**

**By the way, Jimmy Eat World is like...fantastic. Hear You Me is the loveliest song ever by them in my opinion. I got the idea to use the song from James talking about how The Middle was their favorite song by them on Dancing With the Stars, so I figured I'd just choose my favorite song by them instead. He should cover it. That would be all the more lovely. **

**Until next time!**

**Loyally yours,**

**Eli**


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